La Villa.

• Author: Mujica, Barbara

Marcelo Fernandez Zayas' charming recreation of small-town life in Latin America is sure to fill many readers with nostalgia. Fernandez, who was born in Cuba and currently lives in Washington, D.C., captures beautifully the essence of the typical town, where tradition is sacred and progress is anathema: "Tomorrow was not part of the future in this part of the country," he writes. "It was, rather, the continuation of yesterday, with another date in the almanac." Fernandez's Villa epitomizes what Unamuno called intrahistoria--the pith of human existence, which is untouched by political or historical developments. "Political events only affect those who are fighting for the future," explains the author, "not those who live in the past claiming to be part of the present." Although the town is quaint and charming, the author does not completely sanitize his subject. He admits that La Villa offers few opportunities, that its intolerance and narrow-mindedness can suffocate new ideas and choke a budding genius: "Children--rich or poor--who showed intelligence and initiative were marked for exile. One of the unwritten laws of the town was that intelligence and initiative could not be used to alter the rhythm of the place."

La Villa begins with a description of the town, which is followed by vignettes and portraits of archetypal characters reminiscent of those in Miguel Delibes' Viejas historias de Castilla la Vieja. One of Fernandez's most winning characters is Don Alberto, "The Dictionary," who is the town's ultimate authority on language usage. One day the town priest, Don Serapio Almeida, uses a word incorrectly in a homily, provoking a public challenge by Don Alberto. The stand-off, which captivates the townspeople, occurs in the cafe that serves as the local gathering place. Don Alberto waits armed with dictionaries. Not only is Don Serapio no match for him, but the priest's humiliation is so great that the poor man of God...